VOTE411 Voter Guide

Whitman CITY OF PULLMAN Council 2 Ward 2

Term: 4 yrSalary: $6,600The City Council is the legislative body for the City. The Council adopts local laws (ordinances) to secure the safety and assist the well-being of the city residents, the city's physical environment and amenities, and the city economy. The Council is responsible for approving financial expenditures and adopting the city budget as well as establishing policies and regulations in order to guide the city's future. The elected mayor serves as chief administrative officer for the city.

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Dan Records (NP)EEO Compliance Attorney

Garren Shannon (NP)IT Director - Pullman Public Schools

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Biographical Information

What are the issues surrounding your city/town's infrastucture?

How do you think your city/town could best respond to homelessness?

What is your commitment to senior citizens?

How do you think your city/town should approach legal and illegal immigration issues?

What are other major issues facing your city or town?

Of those listed above, which one is the most urgent?

What methods will you use to work with the mayor (if you have an elected mayor) or the city manager or administrator(if you have an chief administrator hired by the council)?

Experience (300 characters max)I am an attorney licensed in Washington. I have previously practiced in Bankruptcy, Tax, and Small Business Startups. I currently work on EEO compliance issues and conduct discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct investigations for WSU.

Summertime road construction projects always highlight the need for alternative routes in Pullman. While the long term development plan includes eventually completing some of these alternative routes and construction has begun on a road connecting from the highway to the airport for the airport construction traffic, we need to ensure that alternative route projects are completed in time with other major projects such as the new elementary school for both fire safety and traffic reduction.

The City should actively pursue relationships with non-profit agencies and state/federal agencies that provide assistance to our residents struggling with homelessness. City employees, should be educated on these resources and how to effectively connect people to resources that are appropriate based on their needs. The City should also research how to create incentives for developers, landlords, and others to offer housing assistance or create opportunities for low income home ownership.

Pullman is a great place to retire for many, and we need to keep it that way. The city needs to ensure that the community is accessible to not only senior citizens, but anyone who may struggle with accessibility needs. We also need to ensure that city business processes and services are accessible and inclusive to all of our residents; this includes making sure that the city is regularly reaching out for feedback on issues but also on how the city is interacting with residents.

Immigration issues are within the sole purview of the federal government and the City of Pullman is not directly subordinate to the federal government. Police do have certain legal obligations in how they respond to court orders including warrants and they should not jeopardize the integrity of the legal process. The city needs to ensure that all members of our community feel welcome and safe especially when interacting with or calling upon emergency services.

Downtown development is one of the issues at the top of residents' minds as a need for improvement. Broad participation in City Programs and City Business; time and time again we see the same players involved and the City needs to expand its outreach to ensure that the interests of all our residents are represented. Increased partnership with WSU; student populations and administrators can change often and we need to establish long term relationships that will survive these transitions.

A more vibrant downtown core is consistently at the top of the list when residents are asked about priorities. There are several ways the City can encourage development and discourage properties being left to waste; but there is no quick fix or single solution. It will take long term commitment and a lot of work by many different constituent groups. There are many downtown businesses that want a more organized partnership with each other and with the City, and the City should make this happen.

I've seen the Pullman City Council as having a very collaborative relationship with the Mayor and other City administrators. A team approach will usually yield better results in policy decisions. Team members need to be able to express what issues are important to them and also be able to provide feedback or criticism of other ideas in a constructive and civil manner. City business is always about finding reasonable solutions to issues that are in the best interest of the residents.

Experience (300 characters max)21 year resident of Pullman. 12 years in the USAF. 6 years Pullman Planning Commission (4 as chair). 6 years CIP committee. 14 years National Lentil Festival Chair for the Beer Garden. I’m a Project Manager/technical engineer - open-minded, kindhearted and will work hard for our community.

The largest issue regarding infrastructure is traffic. As the city expands, the load on our streets has grown and is now noticeable by most long-term residence. The second is the ever-pressing issue of parking downtown.

I have noticed over the past few years, a marked increase in the number of homeless folks in Pullman. We currently have very limited support for homeless with the Community Action Center being the only location that can offer at least some support. I think Pullman can do better though, to be honest, I have done little research into solutions.

Our aged population is currently challenged with the fear of changes in Medicaid/Medicare. I empathize with that real fear. While the Affordable Care Act may not be perfect it has provided for millions of seniors with health care. So, globally I would support modification of the existing ACA. Locally, there is little that we can do beside connect and communicate with our seniors.

My mother once told me “A box of crayons is beautiful BECAUSE of its diversity” and I still agree. We are a strong nation because of our diversity and we should not shy away from that. It is part of the fabric of this country. Our laws provide for a system of entry and through that standing system for legal immigration and skirting that system should not happen. This is a complex issue that can't be boiled down to a 500 character soundbite. So let's talk about it.

I believe revitalizing downtown would be at the top of my list. We have several buildings that are falling into disrepair like our historic Audian Theater and it would be sad to lose that city amenity that is so prominently part of the heart of the city. We need to stimulate a more vibrant night life with entertainment, food and shopping opportunities as well.

The first approach is for me to fully understand the environment (codes/law, resources/taxes and city process) before trying to affect change. So I have a learning curve ahead of me should I win the seat. I plan to engage in listening to our community (as I have done with the Pullman2040 committee work) and bring those ideas to city leadership. From there, it is a simple matter of work.

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